title: Versatile three-dimensional virus-based template for dye-sensitized solar cells with improved electron transport and light harvesting.
abstract: By genetically encoding affinity for inorganic materials into the capsid proteins of the M13 bacteriophage, the virus can act as a template for the synthesis of nanomaterial composites for use in various device applications. Herein, the M13 bacteriophage is employed to build a multifunctional and three-dimensional scaffold capable of improving both electron collection and light harvesting in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). This has been accomplished by binding gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to the virus proteins and encapsulating the AuNP-virus complexes in TiO2 to produce a plasmon-enhanced and nanowire (NW)-based photoanode. The NW morphology exhibits an improved electron diffusion length compared to traditional nanoparticle-based DSSCs, and the AuNPs increase the light absorption of the dye-molecules through the phenomenon of localized surface plasmon resonance. Consequently, we report a virus-templated and plasmon-enhanced DSSC with an efficiency of 8.46%, which is achieved through optimizing both the NW morphology and the concentration of AuNPs loaded into the solar cells. In addition, we propose a theoretical model that predicts the experimentally observed trends of plasmon enhancement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.
authors.forename: Po-Yen
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiangnan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.forename: Matthew T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Klug
authors.forename: Jifa
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Noémie-Manuelle
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Dorval Courchesne
authors.forename: Fred J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Burpo
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Paula T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Hammond
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Belcher
mesh_terms: D017104:Bacteriophage M13 / Q000737:chemistry*; D002213:Capsid / Q000737:chemistry; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D004566:Electrodes; D004579:Electron Transport; D004583:Electrons; D008027:Light; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D053770:Nanowires / Q000737:chemistry; D012993:Solar Energy; D013472:Sunlight; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry; D014780:Viruses / Q000737:chemistry; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; C009495:titanium dioxide; D014025:Titanium